Material Culture Podcast

Objects hold great importance to humans, even for minimalists. Objects can hold meaning and tell stories. In the context of World War II, objects evoke strong emotions and help us visualize history. Pearl Harbor survivor Harold Ward was deeply affected by certain objects from the war. He suffered physical wounds and carried fragments of metal in his body for decades. These objects served as reminders of the pain he endured during the war. Though Ward has passed away, these tiny objects continue to tell his story and represent his resilience. Objects are of utmost importance to humankind. Take, for instance, a minimalist, who prides oneself on their lack of objects, relies all the more on the few objects they do own. As Hannah Daly of the National World War II Museum states, we assign meaning to many items, and where there is meaning, there is usually a story. When it comes to the story of the Second World War, objects tend to evoke more feelings than with words alone. They enable us, as the viewer, the ability to visualize history firsthand. For Pearl Harbor survivor Harold Ward, certain objects from the war continue to give him troubles half a century later. I turned the camera on. You described some of your wounds. Can you describe them again for me, where you were hit? Well, like I said, I was battered. There's a couple of pieces about the size of a quarter. The rest of them are either dime-sized, nickel-sized, and they're scattered around through my legs mostly because that's where most of it hit me. After Pearl Harbor, Petty Officer First Class Ward was aboard the cruiser San Francisco off the coast of Guadalcanal. One November evening, Ward and the San Francisco were severely damaged by the Japanese. The ship would be repaired, and Ward given a Purple Heart, but 70 years after the battle, he still dealt with the repercussions. I did pick a piece out of here, just under the eye, just the sliver, about six, seven years ago, maybe longer than that. A little piece came to be, a little teeny thing, came out of my knee, you know, it came to the surface. It popped the skin, you know, like you could squeeze a pimple. Boom, out came this little piece of steel. And I got a piece here that's been riding here right under the skin. For Ward, these tiny, often unseen objects live as a constant reminder to the physical, mental, and emotional pain that was imprinted on him during the war. To us, they are artifacts from a time almost unfathomable to our imagination. They are proof of combat at the highest levels and records of his own resilience. While Harold Ward passed away a few years ago, these tiny objects continue to tell his story.